THE VANISHING ISLAND by Barry Wolverton

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Grade Level: 3 - 7
• Series: Chronicles of the Black Tulip (Book 1)
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Walden Pond Press (September 1, 2015)
• ISBN-10: 0062221906
• ISBN-13: 978-0062221902

STORY SUMMARY:

Does the Vanishing Island really exist? And if so, what treasure—or terrible secret—was hidden by its disappearance?

It’s 1599, the Age of Discovery in Europe. But for Bren Owen, growing up in the small town of Map on the coast of Britannia has meant anything but adventure. Enticed by the tales sailors have brought through Map’s port, and inspired by the arcane maps his father creates as a cartographer for the cruel and charismatic map mogul named Rand McNally, Bren is convinced that fame and fortune await him elsewhere. That is, until his repeated attempts to run away land him a punishment worse than death—cleaning up the town vomitorium. 

It is there that Bren meets a dying sailor, who gives him a strange gift that hides a hidden message. Cracking the code could lead Bren to a fabled lost treasure that could change his life forever, and that of his widowed father. But to get there he will have to tie his fate to a mysterious Dutch admiral obsessed with a Chinese legend about an island that long ago disappeared from any map. Before long, Bren is in greater danger than he ever imagined, and will need the help of an unusual friend named Mouse to survive. 

Barry Wolverton’s thrilling adventure spans oceans and cultures, brings together the folklore of East and West, and proves that fortune is always a double-edged sword.

REVIEW:

I just received an Uncorrected Proof of Barry Wolverton's upcoming MG mystery, THE VANISHING ISLAND (Chronicles of the Black Tulip, Book One) and was tickled to find there's a character in it, leaning against a barrel, called "Roderick Keyes, more mustache than man." My last name is Keyes. As I'm a friend of Barry's I checked in with him and he confirmed that it wasn't a coincidence—he'd needed a British name, so he borrowed mine. Delighted, I read eagerly on.

Two pages later, after an unhappy collision between a clumsy, adventure-seeking stowaway, a pipe-smoking sailor, and eight kegs of gunpowder, Keyes gets blown to kingdom come. Sometimes there's no justice in this world. But, after reading the prologue and first chapter, I knew I was in the hands of a master storyteller and ended up finishing it that night in one, greedy gulp.

The central mystery of Marco Polo's secret treasure map unfolded with smooth logic, and I enjoyed the moral ambiguity of the antagonists, both familial and sea-faring.

I was particularly struck by the beautifully crafted, inventive, and detailed alternative world Wolverton has created, peopled by characters who were so well-drawn that, while I enjoyed predicting how they'd feel about any given situation, I couldn't guess how they'd respond. The story celebrates, nay, revels in big ideas, but doesn't take itself too seriously, providing lots of laugh-out-loud moments.

So, you heard it here first. Put this stellar, intelligent, middle grade adventure by Barry Wolverton on your Want To Read list now.

Personally, I can't wait for the second volume of The Chronicles of the Black Tulip to find out where Bren's adventures will take him next!

KNIGHTLEY & SON

• Age Range: 10 - 12 years
• Grade Level: 3 - 6
• Series: Knightley and Son
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (March 4, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1619631539
• Source:  Local Library

STORY SUMMARY: 

"The once highly in-demand detective Alan Knightley has just woken up after an unexplained incident kept him asleep for four years. While he was out cold, his son, Darkus, took it upon himself to read of all his dad's old cases, and he's learned a lot about the art of detection. It's a good thing too—because suddenly the duo find themselves caught up in a crazy conspiracy that involves a group of villainous masterminds (who keep appearing and then vanishing), some high-speed car chases (that will have everyone fastening their seat belts), and a national, bestselling book with the power to make people do terrible, terrible things. But because Alan is still suffering the effects of his coma, he tends to, well, fall asleep at the worst possible moments, Meaning that young Darkus might just have to solve this mystery . . . by himself."

REVIEW:

Written with a humour that reveals the author's enjoyment of his subject matter, this promises to be an interesting series to follow for young lovers of mystery, and the parents who may want to read along with them, too. There are some very sharp and funny parodies of pop culture (the book at the centre of the mystery, clearly modeled on the runaway self-help bestseller "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrnes, and the hero's stepfather, a caricature of Top Gear personalities) which provide plenty of chuckles for the older readers.

The language is sophisticated, yet accessible, offering younger readers a chance to stretch themselves without being too aware of the work involved to find meaning in context.

I was interested in the unusual set up of a father and son detective series in a literary world that usually prefers to kill parents off as soon as possible, but unfortunately the author seemed nervous about following through with this, frequently rendering the father unconscious so that the son could work on his own towards solving the mystery. This got a little tiresome, and I hope it will be a problem restricted only to the first book, with subsequent books in the series having the guts to develop the mentor/adept relationship more whole-heartedly.

Young Darkus, who slavishly copies his father's mode of dress, office decoration, speech patterns, and methods (I do hope he develops his own style at some point), gets a girl sidekick in the form of his scientifically able step-sister, Tilly, whose hair mysteriously changes colour. We don't get inside any of the characters much, in spite of multiple points of view opportunities to do so.

The mystery was well-plotted and verged on modern-day satire, which I very much enjoyed and hope we get more of as the series progresses.

I look forward to reading the next in the series to see how these characters are developed, and to see what trouble "The Combination" will challenge them with next.

THE NAME OF THE STAR by Maureen Johnson

Genre:  Fantasy, Supernatural, Mystery
Publisher:  Putnam Juvenile; First Edition edition (September 29, 2011)

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper in the autumn of 1888.

Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police now believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Review:

 
Rory's quirky Louisiana perspective on life at a London boarding school provides a lot of laughs and makes her an easy-to-love character in this modern take on the Ripper murders. She spills details of her crazy family's lifestyle to British friends whose small intakes of breath appear to go unnoticed by her blithe spirit. In the context of a ghost story this practical, grounded character is a delightfully unexpected contrast and I enjoyed the first half of the book because of Rory's culture clash. 

As the focus shifted to solving the copycat modern Ripper murders it felt as though there were two stories being told in one book. So if you like fish-out-of-water stories you'll prefer the first half, and if you like murder mysteries you'll prefer the second half.

Johnson throws a curve ball with the reveal that the Ripper is targeting Rory because she can see him when no-one else can. No-one else, that is, except for a mysterious investigative team called The Shades. Rory loses some of her trademark humor and smarts in the second half, and her love interest seemed distressingly okay with leaving her to walk unescorted through Ripper territory, but the final revelation of an unexpected new dimension to Rory's talent for the supernatural will leave readers eager for the next in the series.

A mite short on chills for a supernatural murder mystery, but the loving portrayal of London from a foreigner's perspective, the plot twists, and the quirky characters entertain and delight.

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